Yolanda Garcia is being remembered as a woman who fought hard for South Bronx residents.

Garcia is responsible for helping thousands of Melrose residents find an affordable place to live. She found the Community Group Nos Quedamos in the early 1990s. Nos Quedamos forced planners and politicians to rethink how they would rebuild part of the Melrose section. This helped prevent the eviction of hundreds of people living and working in the neighborhood.

Nos Quedamos created what officials call a model for community-based planning. The group has rallied for healthcare, housing, and keeping neighborhoods clean. Despite Garcia?s death, the work of Nos Quedamos will continue in the community.